Covid-19 is a strain of coronavirus which causes respiratory issues and can be fatal. Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses causing illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV).
The illness originated in Wuhan, China, where most of those infected have been, but it has infected tens of thousands of people worldwide and killed more than 2,900.
The World Heath Organisation (WHO) has said the virus has the potential to cause a pandemic.
A pandemic, according the the WHO, is the worldwide spread of a new disease, as opposed to an epidemic, which is a disease contained within one country.
"The past few weeks has demonstrated just how quickly a new virus can spread around the world and cause widespread fear and disruption," WHO’s Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
"(But) for the moment we're not witnessing the uncontained global spread of this virus."
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